Menu

The Unofficial Blogger of the Chicago Cubs in Canada

Butler is a Hero in Loss To Marlins

Well, if last night’s performance was any indication on how Eddie Butler‘s season will shape up to be, then hand him a Cy Young because man, did he ever bail out the Cubs in last night’s epic 2-1 loss against the Miami Marlins in 17 innings!

“I knew it from the get go,” Butler said. “I knew it was my game until we got the lead and then we’d hand it over to ‘B-Row’ and he’d take care of business. They came up to me after every inning and asked, ‘How are you feeling?’ and I said, ‘I can keep going, just give me the ball.'”

It was hard fought and I bet you you’re glad for that nifty condensed game feature on MLB.TV because it was a long one, ending just after midnight.

“That was such a huge effort, especially this early in the year, when starters aren’t going so deep into games,” said Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Who was no slouch either in his season debut going six innings giving up one run. Butler went one more inning than Hendricks!

It was the longest relief outing for a Cub since Scott Sanderson pitched eight innings in 1989.

The Cubs weren’t hoping to go this deep into games this early into the season, but there you have it. I hope it won’t exhaust the bullpen too much. It was a tight game and one that I’m sure the Cubs are glad is over.

It was a marathon but Kris Bryant notched his first home run of the season and turned in an impressive performance getting three hits and one run plus, well his home run.

Tonight’s the night Cubs fans have been waiting all winter to arrive. Yu Darvish makes his regular season debut and folks, if there’s a pivotal moment in the young season, it’s this one. The season’s going to depend on how well Darvish throws.

“He’s been great, really good,” manager Joe Maddon said earlier in the week about Darvish. “I’ve not been worried in any way, shape or form about performance. That’s not a concern. He’s performed very well. I’m looking for him to be able to adapt and adjust to us, that he feels comfortable here, and he likes it here. I totally believe a guy of his abilities … if he likes the method and the exchange between his manager and his coaches, and his catchers, good things are going to follow.”

So far, I’m blown away by the way the Cubs have opened the season. Last night’s game was a hiccup but if there’s a way to lose, that’s the way to do it. Both teams fought hard and it came down to being tired. Something was going to give.